Adapted from Evelyn Waugh's 1938 satire on journalism - based on his own Italy-Abyssinia coverage - for ITV, film had the sort of decent budget you now rarely find (Morocco - as ever - standing in for the fictional Ishmaelia) by William Boyd, only his third screenplay.
Really rather well done all around, with Matthew Maloney the innocent - but not as stupid as he looks - correspondent Boot, and a solid supporting cast comprising Jack Shepherd, Donald Pleasance, William Hordern, Nicola Pagett, the irresistible Denholm Elliott, Herbert Lom and Renée Soutendijk. (Q also manages to place young Jake Wood from Eastenders as a paper boy.)
Plenty of laughs involving Boot's country relatives, behaviour of journalists and their journey to Laku ('I don't know'), Soutendijk's cheerful fleecing of Boot...
Shot by Roger Pratt, music by Stanley Myers
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